Who is the Antichrist?

The simple answer to this question (insofar as there can be a simple answer) is this: the Antichrist is the figure in Christianity who opposes Christ.

The actual word "Antichrist" appears only four times in the New Testament in the First and Second Epistle of John. According to the Bible, the Antichrist denies that Jesus is Christ, challenges the Father and the Son, and refuses to confess Jesus came in the flesh.

According to Scripture, the Antichrist (or the false Christ) will try to deceive people by claiming to be anointed by God to carry out His work.

Many religious scholars agree that the Antichrist will be aided by demonic forces in his rejection of Christ. As a result, the Antichrist is often associated with Satan.

According to a recent online poll conducted by Harris Interactive, many Americans believe the Antichrist could be lurking a lot closer to home. In fact, 14 percent of the 2,320 adults surveyed believe that President Obama may be the Antichrist.

The Harris Poll, which included a breakdown of the results by education level and political party, contained some revealing results about some peoples' sentiments toward the president. Of those who held the extreme view that Obama may be the Antichrist, 24 percent affiliated themselves with the Republican Party, 6 percent with the Democratic Party, and 13 percent were Independent.

Denise Chow

Denise Chow is the Sci-Tech Editor at Live Science. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, where she wrote about rocket launches and covered NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.